Manchester United defender Phil Jones is demanding a written apology from
Stuart Pearce after being left furious following claims by the former
England Under-21 manager that he lacked the commitment to play in the
European Under-21 Championship this summer.

Attack: Phil Jones was targeted by Stuart Pearce, along with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere, in an astonishing outburst Photo: PA

Pearce, sacked by the Football Association in the wake of England’s disastrous campaign in Israel, where they lost all three fixtures, hit out at Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere in an astonishing outburst this week.

The former England defender went further with his criticism of those players who had progressed from the Under-21s to the senior squad by claiming they have no desire to return to the under-age team “once they go through the golden ivory towers of the seniors”.

Jones, capped nine times at under-21 level and eight times in the senior team, is understood to have contacted the FA to register his anger at Pearce’s comments.

Although legal action is not on the agenda, the former Blackburn Rovers player has made it clear that he expects an apology from Pearce, who was criticised by the FA in a statement released by the organisation on Wednesday night.

“The FA are disappointed with the comments of Stuart Pearce with regard to squad selection this summer,” the statement said. “Squads were selected for the summer tournaments and decided upon by the coaching staff, including Stuart Pearce.

"The players were then advised accordingly which squads they were in. It is unfair to criticise individual players. All selections were management decisions and were not taken by individual players.”

Pearce’s comments centre on his deep-rooted indignation at the failure of the FA to force clubs to release leading players for under-21 duty at major tournaments.

England’s failure at this summer’s tournament, with a squad shorn of many players with senior experience, was in direct contrast to the success of eventual winners Spain, who were represented by the likes of Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and emerging stars such as Thiago Alcantara and Isco.

“In our wildest dreams do you honestly think that England or any nation in the world can turn up at a major tournament without six or seven – I think there were eight players with senior international caps – who could have played for the England Under-21s this summer?” Pearce said.

“Out of those 17, you talk about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Phil Jones, Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere. The odd one was injury, [but] apathy played a big part of it – the Oxlade-Chamberlains of this world, the Phil Joneses, because they didn’t want to come.

"Once they go through the golden ivory towers of the seniors they don’t want to come and play with the Under-21s any more. There is no nation in the world that could suffer that.

“Our boys, for whatever reason, be it the power of the Premier League, the finance they get at such a young age, whatever it may be, there is a lack of real passion to want to play for your country no matter what. We have to solve that problem and give them international experience.”

In the months prior to the Under-21 Championship, however, former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson made it clear that the likes of Jones and Chris Smalling would be unlikely to play in the tournament, with the Scot insisting both needed a summer break to overcome injury problems.

Jones’s decision to pursue an apology from Pearce is based on the 51-year-old being aware of his unavailability, and the reasons for it, long before the squad had been announced.